Isles of the Sea by Oliver Optic

"There is a steamer coming into port! " shouted one of the idlers in the fore-top of the American Prince, one morning after the squadron had been a week at Funchal.

A dozen glasses were brought to bear upon the approaching steamer, which was coming in from the north-east. She was not a large vessel, and was square-rigged forward, like the Ville d'Angers; but it could not yet be determined whether she had two or three masts, as she was headed directly towards the Loo Rock. The picked-up steamer was barkentine rigged; and, so far as could be judged at that distance, the new-comer was about her size.

The American Prince had been out on a three-days' cruise in search of the Ville d'Angers. She had spoken several vessels without obtaining any intelligence of the missing steamer. She had just returned to Funchal. Mr. Lowington was very much depressed at the ill success of the expedition; but Mr. Fluxion insisted that the Ville d'Angers was all right. She had plenty of coal, plenty of provisions, and she was a good, strongly-built vessel: he had examined her in detail, and he did not believe that the students could have foundered her if they had tried to do so. The worst he could conceive that had happened to her was, that she had broken some of her machinery, and had drifted away to leeward before the south-east winds which had been prevailing for a week.

"But you say her sails were in good order and condition," replied the principal. "I presume her commander knew enough to get sail upon her if her engine was disabled."

"If he did, he has had a head-wind all the time, and will have to beat his vessel all the way. It is very likely the steamer is not in good sailing-trim, for such craft as she is don't work well under sail alone," continued Mr. Fluxion.

"But that vessel coming into this port is using steam," said Mr. Lowington, as he directed his glass towards her again.

"Of course I can't tell what has happened to the Ville d'Angers, but I feel quite confident that she is all right. We have had no very bad weather since we parted company, and not a great deal of fog near the islands," persisted Mr. Fluxion, who felt it "in his bones" that the steamer and her crew were safe, though he could give no good reason for his belief.

"I think that is not the steamer you have described," said Mr. Lowington, in heavy tones; for he was very sad at heart.

"I don't think it is, myself," added the vice-principal. "This one has only two masts, if I mistake not. She is a very fast sailer though."

For half an hour longer all hands watched the approaching steamer, which left a long line of dense black smoke for miles astern of her. It was settled that it was not the Ville d'Angers, for she was rigged as a topsail schooner. She was a very jaunty-looking craft, with raking masts, and smoke-stack; and she cut her way through the water like a fish, creating hardly any commotion in the waves around her. Outside she was painted a shining black, while inboard she was milk-white. Her rigging was hauled taut, and every thing about her was as neat and ship-shape as on board a man-of-war.

"That is not the Ville d'Angers; but, as she comes down from the north-east, she may have seen her," said Mr. Lowington, putting away his glass, which was no longer needed to observe the approaching craft.

"She is so trim and taut, I think she must be a man-of-war," added Mr. Fluxion. "She looks like one of our smaller gunboats. I see she has the American flag at her peak."

"She carries a private signal at her foremast head," continued the principal, taking his glass from the brackets on the companion-way. "Can you make it out, Mr. Fluxion?"

"It blows out straight from us, so that I cannot see the letters upon it."

"Young gentlemen, can you make out the letters on the private signal of that steamer? " asked the principal, turning to the students, who were as much interested in the new-comer as the faculty were.

"I have it, sir," replied one of the sharp-eyed students, who had been studying this signal for some time. "It is an arrow, with the word ‘Marian' above, and an ‘R' below it."

"Then it is not the Ville d'Angers, nor a man-of-war," said Mr. Lowington very sadly. "I hoped it might be the latter, at least; for she would have been more likely to be able to give us some information in regard to the missing vessel."

"On board the Prince! " shouted Mr. Pelham from the deck of the Tritonia, which was moored next to the steamer.

"On board of the Tritonia! " returned Carson, the first lieutenant of the ship.

"That steamer is the Marian, Judge Rodwood's yacht," replied Mr. Pelham.